Means for harvesting ice in the field.



No.1828,s21. PATENTED AUG'. 14, 1906.

P. E. LOSER. l MEANS EUR HARVBSTING 1GB 1N THB FIELD.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 24. 1905.

2 SHBETSQSHEET 1.

PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

F. E. LosBB. MEANS VPOR. HARVBSTING 10E 1N THE FIELD.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.24. 1905.

' PATENT OFFIOE.

IINITED STATES MEANS FOR HARVESTING ICE IN THE FIELD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug'. 14, 1906.

Application filed October 24, 1905. Serial No. 284,162.

To all whom, t may concern/.-

Be it known thatv I, FRANKLIN E. Losnn, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Newton, in the county of Sussex and State of NewJersey, have invented new and Improved Means for Harvesting Ice in theField, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to means for harvesting ice in the field; and itconsists, substantially, in the details of construction and combinationsof parts hereinafter more particularly described, and pointed out in theclaims.

In the cutting and harvesting of ice in the field (ponds, rivers, dac.)as now frequently practiced the ice is 'first gone over and cut to asuitable depth on parallel lines by means of special plows for thepurpose, thus to mark out the field, after which the ice is again goneover and cut up or divided into large cakes or blocks, which are floatedto shore in the manner of rafts, to be further cut up or divided intosmaller cakes, which are placed on elevators and conveyed to theice-house, where they are stored for shipment.

The floating or conveying of the ice cakes or blocks to shore entails agreat deal of expense, especially when operating in large fields, sinceit requires a great many operatives to do the work properly, and besidesthe work cannot always be carried out with the despatch or ex editiondesired, as is well known to those ski led in the art. Y

One 0f the principal objects of the present invention is to overcome thedisadvantages and objections above pointed out and to provide meanswhereby the expense of harvest ing ice in the field may be reduced to aminimum.

A further object is to provide mechanical means for conveying the icecakes or blocks from .the field to the shore in lieu of a manualconveyance thereof, as above explained.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for thepurpose specified which are simple in construction and readilyinstalled, as well as easily controlled, besides being thoroughlyeifectivein operation and possessing.y the capacity for long andrepeated service.

The above and additional objects are attained by means substantiallysuch as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figurel is substanti-ally a diagrammatic perspective view of an ice-field,showing my improvements as mounted thereupon for 0peration. F ig. 2 isan enlarged view in perspective of one of the sets of grappling-hooksemployed, together with the draw cable therefor. Fig. 3 is an enlargedside view 0f one of the grips employed, together with a portion of theendless cable which carries the same, and also showing in section theabutment for releasing the grip from the cable at a certain point in thetravel of the latter. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of one ofthe grips employed and illustrating the ing the abutment by which to bereleased from frictional engagement from the endless cable, and Fig. 5is a plan view of the grip.

Before proceeding with a more detailed description it may be stated thatin the form of my improvements herein shown I employ an endlesstraveling cable, together with suitable guides therefor, carried bysupports which are erected at the desired places of the ice-field,special means being employed in connection with the cable by which thecakes orblocks of ice may be conveyed from the field directly to shorein the manner presently to be explained. The structure in entiretyconstitutes practically a conveying apparatus for the cakes or blocks ofice, and it requires the employment of but few operatives in the fieldto properly a ply the said Special means to the cakes or b ocks in orderthat the purposes of the apparatus may be effectively carried out.

While I have herein represented my improvements in a certain preferredembodiment, it will beunderstood that I am not limited thereto inprecise detail, since immaterial changes therein may be resorted tocoming within the scope of my invention.

Reference being had to the drawings by the designating charactersthereon, l represents an ice-field, and 2 a portion of the surroundingshore, on which may be erected one or more ice-houses 3, in which thecakes or blocks of ice are stored for shipment after they have beentaken from the field, a suitable elevator 4 being shown by which thecakes or blocks of ice may be carried to any desired height or story ofthe warehouse and conducted thereto byy means of a runway 5 in a mannerwell understood in the art. Alongside of the ice-house 3 is apower-house 6, from which extends a driven shaft 7, from the outer endof which runs a belt 8, which manner in which it is operated onencounter- IOO IIO

extends over a pulley 9 on an upper shaft 10, so as to transmitthemotion of the said shaft 7 to the elevator-chains 12, which run overand beneath suitable guide-pulleys therefor, as shown. At the lower endof the elevator 4 the spindle for the lower set of pulleys for theelevator-chains is extended at one end and provided with a guide-pulley13, around which passes an endless traveling cable 14, which also passesaround a guide therefor at a suitable part of the ice-field, thence toanother guide-pulley 16, supported in any suitable manner, as by meansof a post 17,

lthence around another guide-pulley 18, supported in any suitablemanner, as by means of an arm 19, extending from a post 20, alsosupported at another suitable place in the icesfi'el'd', thence back tosaid uide-pulley 13.

Each operative in thel iceield is provided with a suitabley number ofsets of speciallyconstructed grappling-hooks 21 and 22, (see Fig. 2,)the hook 21 having at the end of the shank 23 thereof an eye or' loop24, which in the application of the said grappling-hooks to a cake orblock of ice liesflatly or'horizontally thereon, and the hook 22 havingat the end of its shank 25 an eye or loop 26, which in the' applicationof the grapplingehooks toy a cake or block of ice stands thereon in'vertical position, as indicated in Fig. 1, and the relative positions ofwhich are also shown in Fig. 2', the said eye' or loop 24 having securedthereto one end of a draw-cable 27, which extends through the eye orloop 26 and the other'end of which is secured at 28 to one end of aspecially-constructed grip 29', of wood or other suitable material, thegrip being preferably enlarged at the otherl end' thereof and formedfrom edge to edge with an opening 30, the walls of which are inclinedwith respect to the said last-named end of the grip,

the latterl being also formed in one of its sides with a slot 31 toenable the grip to be applied to the traveling cable' 14 after thegrapplingehooks 2-1 andl 22 havek been ,placed upon a cake orblock 32 ofice and caused to engage or take into the sides thereof, substantiallyas illustrated in Fig. 1. In applying the grip to the cable the formeris held in such position as to bring the said slot 31 therein parallelwith the cable, and then as soon as thel grip is released the tensionupon the cable causes the grip to be carried or turned to the positionshown in Fi 3, the two thereby becoming tightly loced together, as willbe understood.

Located a convenient distance from the elevator 4 is an abutment 33 on abar 33a, extending across an opening made in the ice for enabling thecakes or blocks thereof to be conveyed to the desired proximity to theelevator', and as the enlarged end of each of said grips 29 encountersor strikes the said abut ment 33 the same is tri vped or carried totheposition indicated in 1ig. 4, thus to be released from operativeengagement with the cable and without in any manner interfering with thetravel of the cable over the severally-mentioned guides therefor orthrough the slot 33D therefor in the abutment. s each grip is thustripped the o erative may remove the same from the cab e in an obviousmanner and employ the same over and over again in the same way, togetherwith the set of grappling-hooks carried thereby, itbeing understood thatthe twoare neverseparated from each other except for the purpose ofrepairing or the like. A

It will be seen that as the grip 29 is drawn along by the endless cable14 the drawlcab'le 27 will be drawn taut, and inasmuch as the samepasses loosely through the eye 26'y ofthe grappling-hooks 22 the twograppling-hooks wil e so acted upon as to effectively enga-ge or takehold of the cake of ice around whichthe same are placed. As the icecakes are conveyed to the desired place adjacent tothe' elevator theymay be placed on the latter to be delivered to the ice-house in themanner well understoodand as already referred to'.

Having thus described my invention,` I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. Means for harvesting ice in the field, comprisingan endless -traveling cable, a gripv for application thereto, devicesconnected with one end of the grip and adapted totake hold of a. cake ofice, the other end of said grip being enlarged and having an openingextending from edge to edge, and a slotin one of its sides communicatingwith the opening to enable the grip to be applied to the cable, a-nd anabutment adapted to engage theenlarged end of the grip to trip the sameto' release the gripfrom operative engagement with the cable.

2. Means for harvesting ice in the field, comprising an endlesstraveling cable, agrip device adapted to be appliedv thereto,4rappling-hooks adapted to take hold of a ca e of ice, the saidgrappling-hooks having shanks provided with eyes, a draw-cable connectedat one end to one yeye and passing through the other eye, the other endof the said drawcable being connected with the grip device, and anabutment for the grip device, disposed within the field.

3. Means for harvesting ice in the field, comprising an endlesstraveling cable, a grip for' application thereto, the said grip beingformed with an opening extending from edge to edge, the grip having aslot in one of its sides communicating with said opening, devicesconnected with the grip and adapteclto take hold of a cake of ice, andan abutment for the grip, disposed within the field adjacent to the pathof travel of the cable:

4. Means for harvesting icey in the field?, comprising an endlesstraveling cable, a' device adapted to be applied' thereto and other IOOIZO

devices connected With said device and adapted to take hold of a cake ofice, embodying grappling-hooks having Shanks provided with eyes, and adraw-cable secured to one eye and passing through the other.

5. Means for harvesting ice in the field, comprising an endlesstraveling cable, a grip for application thereto, and devices connectedWith the grip adapted to take hold of a cake of ice, said grip beingconstructed With an o ening having inclined Walls, and With a s otcommunicating With the opening,

6. Means for harvesting ice in the ield, comprising an endless travelingcable, a grip for application to the cable, a draw-cable connected Withone end of the grip, and grappling-hool s connected With the draW-cableand adapted to take hold of a cake of ice, the other end of said gripbeing enlarged and formed With an opening having inclined Walls, thegrip having a slot in one of its sides communicating with said openingto enable the grip to be applied to the traveling cable.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

FRANKLIN E. LOSEE. Witnesses G. A. WILLIAMS, PETER J. BEEMER.

